Noting continuous rise in number of COVID-19 positive cases across the State, the High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday directed the State government to submit district-wise data of availability of beds for COVID-19 patients both in public and private hospitals.
Also the government will have to provide the details of beds with ICU facilities and the number of ventilators earmarked for COVID-19 patients both in public and private hospitals in all districts.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar passed the order while hearing through video conferencing the PIL petitions related to COVID-19 health management.
PPE kit disposal
As a large number of hospitals are handling COVID-19 patients across the state, the Bench asked the government to give details of the manner and facility prescribed for disposal of PPE kits used in these hospitals.
The disposal of PPE kits in Bengaluru alone would be an important task as the city has 380 hospitals designated for COVID-19 treatment apart from a large number of medical practitioners and health care workers in other hospitals and clinics are also using PPE kits as per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) prescribed under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Bench noted.
Inspection
Meanwhile, the Bench termed as impractical the Government’s October 3 advice to the district-level expert monitoring committees to inspect one COVID-19 hospital in their respective district every week.
At this pace, it will take 20 weeks to inspect all the hospitals in a district that has 20 hospitals designated for COVID-19 duties, and in Bengaluru city, even if the committee visits one hospital everyday, it will take more than a year to complete the inspection of all the 380 hospitals designated for COVID-19 treatment, the Bench said while directing the government to reconsider the advise given to the committees on frequency of inspection.
As many urban local bodies were not disbursing monthly salaries to pourakarmikas regularly and they released the wages on government’s intervention after the Court’s direction, the Bench directed the government to ensure regular payment of salaries to pourakarmikas by all the ULBs.
50% of people on roads, in parks not wearing masks
Around 50% of the people moving on the public roads and visiting parks in Bengaluru city are not wearing masks though it is mandatory, the High Court observed on Tuesday.
As the government was already directed to take measures to ensure that people adhere to the norm of wearing masks in public places, the court directed the government on enforcement of measures, including imposing of fines.
